UF Health Science Center team participates in first ever genetics education program
Advances in genetics are increasing at such a rapid pace that new diagnostic tests, treatment options and educational advances make it difficult for many health professionals to keep pace.
Led by Rose Nealis, Ph.D., A.R.N.P., a College of Nursing clinical associate professor, a group from the UF Health Science Center was chosen as one of six university teams nationwide to participate in a program that aims to better prepare future health professionals by integrating cutting-edge genetics education into graduate health professions curricula. Nealis chairs the nursing school’s department of women’s, children’s and family nursing.
The United States Health Resources and Services Administration’s divisions of Nursing, and of Medicine and Dentistry, have collaborated with Duke University to create the Genetics Interdisciplinary Faculty Training (GIFT) program. The GIFT program trains select faculty teams from around the country in advances in genetics and methods to incorporate genetics as a recurring theme throughout graduate education.
The program required that representatives exist from three disciplines — nurse practitioner, nurse-midwifery and physician assistant programs — and strongly suggested a doctorally or master’s prepared genetics expert be included.
The UF team also includes Jane Gannon, M.S.N, C.N.M., a College of Nursing clinical assistant professor at the Health Science Center’s Jacksonville campus; Charles Currey, M.P.H., PA-C, an assistant professor in the College of Medicine’s physician assistant program; and Anthony Perszyk, M.D., an assistant professor at the College of Medicine’s Jacksonville campus.
Faculty teams participate in the three-part educational program, which includes a weeklong intensive training session at Duke University addressing genetics and the related social, political, cultural, ethical, religious and legal ramifications. In addition, participants are schooled in faculty development, curriculum redesign, case scenarios and standardized patients, and their relation to the field of genetics. At the completion of training, teams were given up to $7,000 to use at their home institutions to support integrating genetics into the curriculum. Online resources are available for faculty to use at their home institutions, including faculty forums with a moderator for shared problem solving and expert advice.
“Participation in the GIFT program enhanced the ability of participating faculty members to assist primary care providers—nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants—in utilizing knowledge from the Human Genome Project and genetics research to promote healthy lifestyles and enhance client care,” Nealis said.